'It was hell' says rough sleeper who turned his life around to become soup run volunteer

Alan Behan had been 'on the freephone', getting hostel beds a night or two at a time until Depaul helped him get off the streets. Picture: Leah Farrell/RollingNews.ie

It's fair to say Alan Behan has turned his life around —  so much so that the 54-year-old, who for years was sleeping rough, is now looking into how he can help others in a similar predicament through support work and soup runs.

Alan said he first became homeless a decade ago, with marital difficulties followed by a double family tragedy when his brother and then his mother passed away within a year of each other.